Avoid dry, flavorless chicken meatloaf by skipping the ground white meat and using ground dark meat instead. Mix it with sautéed onion, carrots, and celery and aged Gouda to add extra flavor and moisture, then bake about an hour. For classic meatloaf and gravy lovers, we recommend using our Mushroom Gravy recipe. Serve with some Sautéed Zucchini for a filling weeknight dinner.

What to buy: Panko is coarse Japanese-style breadcrumbs. It’s available in the international section of most supermarkets.

Buy all-dark-meat ground chicken for the juiciest possible meatloaf. If you use all white meat, you’ll get a drier and less flavorful result.

This recipe was featured as part of our meatloaf recipe slideshow.

  • Yields: 4 to 6 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr 50 mins

Ingredients (16)

  • Unsalted butter, for coating the loaf pan
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup small-dice yellow onion (from about 1/2 medium onion)
  • 1/2 cup small-dice carrot (from about 1 medium carrot)
  • 1/2 cup small-dice celery (from about 1 medium celery stalk)
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine
  • 2 pounds ground dark-meat chicken
  • 1/2 cup panko
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup shredded aged Gouda cheese (about 1 ounce)
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with butter; set aside.
  2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and are starting to brown, about 9 minutes.
  3. Increase the heat to medium high, add the wine, and let simmer until almost completely evaporated, about 4 minutes. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large bowl and set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
  4. When the vegetables have cooled a bit, add the meat to the bowl, breaking it up with your hands. Add the panko, egg, cheese, and parsley. Evenly sprinkle everything with the Worcestershire, thyme, pepper, and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Using clean hands, mix until evenly combined (don’t squeeze or overwork the mixture).
  5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, spread it to the edges, and smooth out the top. Bake until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165°F, about 1 hour. Remove the pan to a wire rack and let sit 10 minutes before slicing the meatloaf.